Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Dr M: BN takeover was hasty

On the eve of the continuance of Perak’s constitutional crisis, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (pic. left) said: "Under the Federal Constitution, as far as I know, very clearly states that the monarch cannot remove the prime minister.

"He (the ruler) can refuse to appoint a prime minister but once appointed he cannot remove him until a vote of no confidence is taken."

The former prime minister was however careful not to draw parallels with the Perak case.

"I think the laws (federal and state) apply to the state as well but if Perak is different, I stand corrected," Mahathir told reporters at the Perdana Leadership Foundation today.

Mahathir also refused to speculate on the legality of Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir’s appointment as menteri besar of Perak, saying that the matter now lies with the courts.

But the 83-year-old said that BN should have been more careful in the Perak takeover and that the coalition had acted "hastily".